Canada!!!!!

Canada!!!!!  Yay!!!!  So as I described in a previous blog, Andee and I ended up with 5 days off in a row to make the trip back to Canada!!  PTL!!  We left at 4:30am on Thursday, and arrived in Whitby a little after 3pm!  Great timing!!  We also had two visitors in the car - a friend of Andee's who is a Med Student currently working at his same clinical rotation, and of course, our little Aloe cat!  So needless to say, it was a full car!  We weren't sure how Aloe was going to be in the car, and for the first few hours, he was not a happy camper in his cat carrier!  However, (and you can see from this adorable picture below...) once we decided to let him out of the carrier and kept him from roaming by using a harness and leash, he was much happier!  He quite enjoyed sitting on my lap and looking out the window, and snuggling with me when he was a little uneasy about the car ride.  I love him!!

Once we arrived in Whitby, we headed to Andee's parents house to have some dinner.  We hadn't really eaten much all day, and we (especially Andee, since he was the driver) were very tired after driving for 10 hours, so a nice home cooked meal was much appreciated!  We still had our kitty with us, and unfortunately, he wasn't too thrilled at a barking and lunging dog.  After several failed attempts to introduce them, we decided to keep them separate during our visit, but once they were separate, we had a nice visit!  

We then headed over to my parent's house, where my Mom was waiting to greet us!  Unfortunately, my Dad was in Mexico with a friend, so we didn't get a chance to see him at all during our trip - the only "bad timing" thing about our visit home.  Cassie and Trevor arrived shortly after from working, and we had a great time catching up and hanging out!  We also tried to introduce Aloe with Mr. Purr, my parents cat, which was quite interesting.  I suppose Aloe had a horrible day, so we'll let this one slide, but when he saw Mr. Purr he was scared and started hissing!  Bad cat!  We didn't even know he was capable of making that noise!  So, we decided to try again later and kept the cats separate during the night.  Who knew cats were so much work?  Hahaha!!  Good thing he's cute!

The next day Andee and I woke up a little late, since we were pretty exhausted from the night before!  Shortly after waking up, Andee headed to his parents house for a visit, and Cassie, my Mom and I met up with Nicky for a fun afternoon!  We started with a necessary Dollarama trip, followed by lunch at Wendys where we had poutine!!  Yay Canada!!  We then headed back to the house, where an unseasonably warm sunny day led to an impromptu photo shoot outside!  Please notice the lack of coats and mittens, as well as the big smiles on our faces depicting the start of warmer weather, and Spring on the way!!   A wonderful afternoon with family!! 

Afterwards, we had a delicious lasagna dinner with the fam, and got to spend some time together!  I love Canada, and I love family!  After dinner, we headed to Toronto to watch our amazing and talented friends Dave and Arielle perform with their band!  A few of our friends also came to watch, so we were able to both see friends, and enjoy them perform!  It was a great show, and we were so glad that we were able to attend!  With our original road trip plans, we wouldn't have been able to see this amazing performance!!  So fun!!  I love friends, and I love Canada!!

The next day was a sleep in again after a late night in Toronto, and so in the early afternoon we headed to my Aunt's house for visit with my Aunts and grandparents!  I had no idea they were coming down, and was not anticipating this visit, and was so happy to see everyone!!  We enjoyed some lunch and treats, and had some great conversation involving tons of laughter and smiles!  Great visit!

We then headed back to my parents house where Dave and Arielle were waiting for us with Hot n' Ready pizza!  YAY!!  We were glad to be able to see them again - twice in one weekend!  Amazing!!

We also tried to reintroduce the cats, and after a little more hissing and having them get closer and closer to each other, it appeared that they were slowly becoming friends!!  So cute!!  I captured this super cute picture of them starting to like each other!  Yay!!  I actually think Aloe might miss his large friend!  We also thought it would be fun to dress Aloe up in a little Blue Jays Jersey and take pictures.... #crazycatfamily.  So cute!  Another great day!!

The next day was also quite unseasonably warm, making its way up to 50 degrees and sunny!  Sitting in the sun with just a light sweater and a delicious Timmy's white hot chocolate was just the best!!  Can't wait for summer!! 

In the late afternoon, we headed over to Andee's parents house where the whole family was there.  We were treated to a delicious turkey dinner, and great company!  There was also ice cream cake and cupcakes for dessert - Yum!  So glad to see the whole gang!  

After dinner, Cassie and I, as well as some friends of ours, headed to a concert put on by our Canada church!  It was so fun - their worship team is just amazing, and their guest Pastor for this event was hilarious and fun!  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to attend this event based on previous plans, and was so happy to find out that I could!  It was amazing, and I am looking forward to attending another one next time we head back to Canada!!

The next morning was our last day home (sad), and so we went out for breakfast to end off the weekend on a high note!  In addition to all the fun activities and visits, we managed to fit in a dental appointment and two specialist Doctor appointments we had carefully scheduled to line up with our little trip home!  We also purchased a bed (my parent's treat, yay!) deconstructed it and took it home, and went "shopping" in our closets to find all of our long lost summer clothes!  We also renewed our American visas with very little problems, which is a huge praise!!  How the heck did we manage to fit all of this into 5 days, with 20 hours of driving?  No one knows.  But I am so glad that we did!! 

We ended up leaving at around 3pm, and began our long treck back to Illinois!  Aloe was much happier this time, although was still relaxing with caution, and never falling asleep, which led to one sleepy kitty the next day!  We arrived back to our apartment just after midnight, and headed straight to bed, since Andee had to work in the morning!  I thankfully had the day off to unpack and take care of all the housework that had been neglected during our trip!  And a wonderful and packed trip it was!!

Overall, our trip back was just amazing!  Everything that could have easily gone wrong seemed to work out perfectly the entire time!  God is good!!  God turned our need to renew our visas and attend some Doctor appointments into a wonderful trip back home to see our family and friends!  This trip was such a blessing to us, and since Andee has very little time off, it was such a treat to be able to head home!  Amazing!!  PTL!!  Hooray!!!!!!!!  I hope to see lots of those same faces in Illinois for visits throughout the year!!  We love you all!!  And we love Canada!!

So, back to reality!  We really do love Illinois also, and we were glad to settle back into our apartment and routine!  Harvest Bible Chapel is celebrating their 13th anniversary this week, and before we left we celebrated with a Staff Bowling outing!  Bowling, games, cake, and lots of wonderful people made for a great day!  We are also celebrating with the entire church this weekend with a mountain of cupcakes for everyone! So fun!  Enjoy the pictures haha!

We are also making preparations for Easter, where I will be joining the choir!  Also, spring is well on its way, and the warmer weather and sunshine is much needed after a long winter!  I am very excited for Illinois in the Spring and Summer, and getting to enjoy all the activities our apartment provides us with, such as fishing, golf, boating, tennis, volleyball, swimming, and beautiful walking trails!  Hope you enjoyed the blog!

Holding out for Spring!

Ok, soooooo it's still winter.  Which is horrible.  But the good news is, there is really only a month (might be a tad bit optimistic but just humor me) left of official winter weather, and Blue Jays Baseball Spring Training has started, so Spring can't be THAT far away!!  Woohoo!!  I'm holding out for Spring!!  Spring is such a magical time - utter relief from the frigid temperatures, ability to again get back to outdoor activities without your skin falling off, the start of baseball, fishing, going on long walks, hearing birds chirping, warm sunshine, and all sorts of other wonderful activities!  GET EXCITED!!

So, the only photo-worthy event that happens in February is Valentines Day!!  Andee and I celebrated with some practical and needed gifts (my favourite!)  Andee got me a dishwasher-safe travel mug/canister so I can stop refilling plastic water bottles from the church, and a leopard print bath mat to replace the dollar-store towel in our bathroom - 2 items I have been wanting for many months but was too "frugal" (cheap) to buy!  Oh, Medical School living!  He also got me a Reese Peanut-Butter Heart - yum!!  I got Andee something we have been looking for for almost a year - the Forever Comfy - a super comfortable cushion to put on top of a not-so-comfortable chair!  That is indeed what my skinny Husband has been looking for all this time!  I also made him a pop-up card, and got some Valentines Day themed balloons from Dollar Tree, because I drove by and saw everyone coming out of the store with them, and I couldn't resist!  We then headed to Red Lobster for Dinner, which is a huge treat for us!  Red Lobster is seriously the best, I would eat there every day if I could!  Andee ordered shrimp pasta and crabs legs, and I ordered a 4-course meal (a special!) that included  clam chowder, caesar salad, garlic shrimp, and a hot brownie with ice-cream!  And of course, unlimited cheddar baked biscuits!  THE BEST!  A wonderful Valentine's Day!!

So now that Andee is back to his happy baseball self with Spring Training underway, I am happily back to work doing something I really love, and Easter coming up very soon, it is a great time to celebrate!  And let's not forget, we are coming HOME TO CANADA in March!  Let's recap this story!

Andee and I needed to return home to Canada to renew our American visas and attend a couple Doctor appointments (with free healthcare!) on the weekend of March 9th.  We had no idea what kind of time off Andee would be allowed, since he just last week started a new rotation.  However, we really needed to make the trip, so we accepted the fact that we might be driving home on Saturday morning, and driving back on Monday afternoon, leaving only a day to enjoy Canada.  However, when Andee started this new rotation, the Doctor immediately announced that the students had Friday the 8th off, because he was not working that day!  In addition to that amazing detail, this new rotation allows for Andee to have Thursdays off, every other Saturday off, and optional Mondays that can be alternated with the other student.  Which means, drumroll please....................that Andee and I will be heading back THURSDAY morning, and heading back Monday afternoon!  Which gives us 3 whole days, an evening, and a morning to enjoy Home!!  So this "Visa and Dr. appointments" trip has now turned into a mini vacation!  So exciting!!  God is Good!  He definitely orchestrated this plan from the beginning - what are the chances he would have those exact days off??  Amazing!!  We are also planning on bringing back our cute little kitty for a visit home as well!  He will get to meet (and be mauled by) my family, and my big kitty, Mr Purr!!  YAY!!

Speaking of my little Aloe cat, I would like to take this oppourtunity to post some cute pictures!  Nothing says "it's winter and nothing happens worthy of photos ops" than pictures of my cat!  More photos on my and Andee's phones that I will be adding at a later blog!  Enjoy!

Well, that is about it for now!  We are super excited for our trip home, and for all the amazing things God is doing here!  Lots of exams on the way for Andee, and lots of Easter preparations for me at work!  Exciting stuff!  We will see all you Canadians on March 7th!!!

We Got a Cat!!

For anyone that knows me at all, I am 100% obsessed with cats.  So I am absolutely overjoyed to be exclaiming to you all that after two and a half years of moving around, we have FINALLY become settled (enough) to be cat owners!!  Just today we renewed our lease for another year in Illinois, hoping and praying that Andee will be able to complete all his clinical rotations here, as well as the possibility of residency!  So with the exciting possibility of remaining in Illinois for at least another 14 months, and possibly another 3 years after that, we decided to take the plunge into owning a little kitty!  And a cute little kitty he is!!  We named him Aloe, because he is chill, gentle, cool, and nice!  He is puuuuuurfect - a tabby/bengal mix who is very affectionate, and the most beautiful spotted and striped coat and golden eyes!!  A bengal mix, you know, the domestic kitties known for their leopard-like coat?  Amazing!!  We adopted him from an overburdened shelter and it was love at first sight!!  He was a little tentative the first night, meowing like crazy and scratching on the doors, but by the very next day he was rubbing up to us wanting pets and genuinely showing us love!  Which, if you have met my Parent's cat Mr. Purr, you know that is something I am not used to!  Aloe is very playful and loves to play "fishing" with Andee, a mouse toy tied to the end of a fishing rod!  He loves to be in the same room as us, and has the cutest little "mews" and squeaks, can't make much of a meow sound!  He is the cutest little thing ever, and Andee and I are soooo happy we took him home with us!!  Enjoy too many pictures of my little sweetie!!!

Oh, so I guess some other stuff happened this week too.  Haha, just kidding.  On Thursday the Staff at Harvest had a surprise going away party for Larry, who is stepping down from his position to Pastor at a neighboring church - exciting!  Larry is one of the staff members who helped to solidify my volunteer position at the church, and so I am very thankful to him for that!!  Delicious food and amazing people!  It was a lot of fun!!

We have been spending so much time with our new little kitty that this is about the only news we have to report to you all!  It has also been too cold and snowy to do anything else!  I will try not to be the crazy cat lady I am deep down inside and limit the amount of cat photos I share, but let's get real, I'm not really going to try that hard.  Enjoy the pictures!! 

 

Winter....fun!?

Since my last post, Andee and I have been settling back in nicely to our home in Illinois.  We fell quite easily back into our normal routines, Andee started a new rotation in Bolingbrook, IL, about 15 minutes from our apartment, and I started a new part-time volunteer Reception/Administrative position at Harvest Bible Chapel!  PTL!!  It is great to be working again and feeling productive and contributive!  This has been a big prayer of mine for a while, and God is faithful and operates in perfect time!  So excited to be working with such wonderful people and for such a wonderful and amazing God!!!

On my first official day of work, I was just sitting at the front desk like normal, texting with Jenna and telling her about my awesome new job!  She casually asked what the name of the church was, and of course I replied thinking nothing of it, since the topic of conversation was already involving the church.  About an hour later, as I was just about to take a lunch break, who walks through the front doors but DAVE ESPEUT!!!!!!!!!!  Davie in Illinois!!  How did he get here?  Well, he was driving Jeremy to Bible College in Michigan, and then decided to just keep on driving and come for a quick visit in Illinois!!  I was so shocked and happy to see him!!  We then took a long lunch and headed to Chilli's, and then Dave joined me at work for a couple hours to hang out, and then we met Andee at work!  We then ate a yummy meal at our apartment, and Dave got to hang out with Andee too before heading back home.  And here is the kicker - Dave had to work the next morning!!!  He ended up leaving Lisle at about 7pm, predicting his arrival time back in Scarborough to be about 4am!!  And he worked only a few hours later!  What a great friend!!  So thankful to him for driving all the way to Illinois to see us!!!  Love you Davie!!  p.s. the tree in the photo is a recent purchase, $25 for the tree and all the decorations!  Great after Christmas Deal!

In the midst of our little taste of home with Dave coming to visit, we have also participated in many-an-Illinois activities that were photo worthy!  We had a big sack of slightly stale bread, and what better use than to feed the hundreds of geese and ducks that inhabit our property!  There were too many to count!  It was freezing, but it was fun!  A couple days later, on an unseasonably warm day, the geese were somewhat confused as to why they couldnt go for a swim, and so ended up just hanging out on the ice!  It was hilarious to watch them walk with unstable steps, and when flying in and landing sliding all over!  Haha, I laughed so hard and had to take a picture!

One of the first activities Andee and I attempted was skiing!  There is currently no snow in the Chicagoland area (really weird for this time of year), but the ski hill is covered in homemade snow!  Andee had been skiing before, but looking at his ski jacket tag determined that he had not been since 2004!!  That's 9 years ago!  And of course, the jacket still fits!  And since I have never been skiing before, Andee taught me how!  He is a great teacher, and never gets frustrated with me even in my panicked state of  "I'm doing the pizza but I'm going too fast!"  It was a slightly terrifying but really fun experience, and the best part about it is that as 4 Lakes renters, we get to use the ski hill and rent all the equipment for free!!  We have only been skiing once so far, as the weather has dipped to a disgustingly unseasonably cold and windy temperature, but are planning to try it again when the weather gets back on track!  Or unseasonably warm, I wouldn't complain!

We rounded out our winter adventures in January by visiting the Cosley Zoo to see Bob and Robert the cats (Bobcats...yup.)  They were super cute as usual, and one was prowling around and posing for our photos!  It was a pretty cold day, but enough bundling and the promise of wild cat viewings was enough for me to brave the outdoors for a little while! 

Since these unseasonably cold temperatures are sticking around for a while, my instincts are telling me to hibernate until further notice.  As I am sitting here typing this blog, it is currently snowing very lightly and covering the ground and the frozen lakes with a beautiful dusting.  From inside my warm apartment, which I do not plan on leaving today, this is exactly the type of winter I can embrace.  Happy hibernation everyone! 

Christmas in Canada!

In case you were wondering why you haven't seen an updated blog recently (probably not, but who knows, maybe!), it is because Andee miraculously had almost 4 weeks of vacation, 3 of which we spent back home in Canada!!!  YAAAAYYY!!  Christmas in Canada!!!  It was the best, and re-reminded me how much I love it back home.  Which is why my main prayer for this season is to "learn the secret of being content in any and every situation" - Philippians 4:12.  Blah blah blah, I hate change, blah blah blah America, blah blah blah, to be discussed at a later blog.......aaaand we're back to our vacation!   Lots of Birthday and Christmas parties ensued, and we somehow managed to see almost all our family and friends!  I was also able to work a bit and spend some time with my Husband!  Hooray!  I will preface this blog with a photo of myself and my cute cat, Purrface!!  Yay Home!!

 
In keeping with tradition, Jenna's Birthday party was planned for a few days after our arrival, so I was able to celebrate her 25th in Toronto!  I love my best friend of almost 20 years so much!!  I hope she comes and visits us in Illinois!! *hint hint* :)

A few days later, we celebrated a belated Jess and Jenna Birthday party with our high school friends!  We played an Activity Scavenger Hunt, sang some karaoke, and enjoyed each others company! We were also celebrating the engagement of April and Darryl!!  CONGRATS!!  And a great time was had by all!

On the weekend, we celebrated Rob's birthday/Christmas with my Dad's side of the family!  Almost the entire extended family was present, and we even sneakily gave Rob Skippy (an old Family Christmas tradition) for this Birthday!  The food was great, the people were greater, and the entire evening was the greatest!  I even worked on my kid skills by playing with my cousin MaKayla, one of the cutest kids in the world, as she is always singing and laughing, two of the things I enjoy most in the world!  I think if I had a MaKayla one day, that would be just fine!  Excellent Birthday/Christmas party!!

We then celebrated Christmas Eve with Andee's side of the family, which consisted of a very delicious dinner and dessert, and lots of great conversation!  We opened some thoughtful and useful gifts, and it was great to spend some time with Family!  Unfortunately, no photo evidence!  My Dad with camera attached is usually the one to take family photos, and he was not at this event!  Maybe next year!!  

On Christmas morning we opened a bunch of gifts and enjoyed a delicious peameal and egg breakfast!  Andee and I received some clothes, candy, apartment stuff, and lots of other goodies, but the best gift I received by far was a homemade coupon for the "Behind the Scenes" program at Jungle Cat World!  This allows a 45 minute session with three baby animals at the Big-Cat based Zoo near my parents house in Canada!!!  For anyone that even knows me a little bit, you can understand the through-the-roof excitement level I feel for this gift!!  Hopefully I will get a chance to visit home this Summer, where I will partake in this wonderful experience!!  Hopefully there will be a baby Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, or even a LEOPARD!!  SO EXCITING!!  We also held our annual Christmas Photo Shoot with the immediate family!  Even my "Big Cat" (my obese housecat, Mr. Purr) got in the photos!!  He wasn't too happy, but all is fair in love and photo shoots!

We then traveled a whopping 8 minutes to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Pickering for Christmas Dinner with my Mom's side of the family!  Again, the entire extended family was there, and this time, we got photo evidence!! I even enjoyed playing with the kiddos!  What is happening to me??  It was so wonderful to see everyone and spend time with our families this year!  We are so grateful to God and Andee's clinical coordinator that we had such amazing Christmas Holidays this year!!  Here's hoping for some time off around Christmas for next year!!

For New Years we had a relaxing night in with some amazing friends!  Lots of food and treats, and lots of great conversation and fun!  I love these people!!  I hope to be able to visit back home soon!!  Maybe in the warmer weather!!

Well there you have it, 3 weeks in Canada in 1 blog!  There was an abundance of more fun activities such as Family dinners, friends lunches, evening hangouts, Xbox adventures, and lots more that made for an amazing vacation back home!!  And with Illinois and Ajax weather averaging very similar temperatures, it wasn't nearly as much of a culture/temperature shock as last year when we had just moved back from St. Kitts!  It is hard to believe that it has been a year since living on an Island, and that we have been in America for an entire year!  Andee is now entering 7th semester as a Third year Medical Student!  We are past the halfway point (of medical school that is, not on our total journey!) and Andee only has another year and a half (hopefully!) of clinicals before he starts working!  Pray for us as we continue on our journey of Medical School and America living!  Hopefully we will be back in Canada soon for a visit!  See you all soon!